Drug Dealers arrested in Birmingham

Drug Dealers arrested Birmingham
TWELVE members of a huge drugs gang which had a “stranglehold” on parts of Birmingham have been jailed for a total of 48 years

The dozen crooks destroyed many lives on the streets of Stechford and Bordesley Green and other parts of Birmingham, But now they are starting jail sentences of up to seven years after being convicted of class A drug offences – and more than 20 others are still to be dealt with.

Det Chief Insp Nick Walton, who headed the operation which led to the jail terms, said: “This is not the end of our operation – residents have told us they want change and together we can continue to make it happen.

“Lots of our investigations are covert and it may appear to communities that we are not acting on information they provide to us.

“But I want our communities to be confident we are taking action based on information provided to us.

“Drug supply and use affects the community as a whole, so these sentences are a significant success for both us and the communities of Birmingham who have been affected by the criminal activities of these individuals.

“Members of the public have helped us to put these dealers behind bars.”

The longest sentence of seven years was handed down to “significant player” Alam Zeb Khan.

The 36-year-old, of Bordesley Green Road, Bordesley Green, was jailed in April after pleading guilty to a charge of conspiracy to supply cocaine.

Two men were jailed on Friday and another on May 18 in connection with the crackdown, which went under the name Operation No Deal.

Yesterday at Birmingham Crown Court, another eight men were imprisoned for between two and five years.

The court heard four of the men were monitored between last July and September in the Small Heath area.

They sold drugs to an undercover police officer on ten occasions, sometimes in view of children in a park.

One of the dealers, Suleiman Yaseen, aged 20 from Saltley, was suspicious of the officer, known only as ‘Matt’ and asked him to smoke crack cocaine in front of the group.

The court also heard ‘Matt’ later traded clothes, which he claimed had been looted in last August’s riots, for drugs to maintain his cover.

All four were picked up in dawn raids in March when hundreds of police raided homes in the Bordesley Green, Small Heath, Hall Green, Stechford, Kings Heath and Yardley areas.

Drugs worth £16,000 and £74,000 in cash were also seized during three raids.

Jennifer Josephs, prosecuting, said the four were not as ‘business like’ as others involved in the conspiracy, but it was estimated they made £33,000 over the three-month period.

Mobile phones used by the gang and seized during police raids showed they received more than 9,000 calls between July and October from drug users.

Judge Paul Tomlinson told the four: “Each of you participated in the sale of crack cocaine and heroin and many supplies were made to an undercover officer.

“Ten events have been identified by the prosecution. On each Yaseen supplied crack or heroin or you were present when other made the supply under your direction.

“You four were less sophisticated than those who have appeared or are due to appear before the court on other occasions but there are aggravating features.

“Most of the dealing was in a public park and on occasions children were not far away.”

Those who have yet to be sentenced have all admitted charges of conspiracy to deal crack cocaine and heroin.

Mr Walton said the arrests and sentences were only a part of Operation No Deal, which also aims to help drug addicts become clean

Drug gang mastermind caught handing over kilo of cocaine

THE mastermind of the drugs gang – Alam Zeb Khan – was jailed for seven years after being caught handing over a kilo of cocaine to an accomplice, Birmingham Crown Court heard.

The 36-year-old, from Bordesley Green Road, Bordesley Green, was described by Judge William Davis QC as “a significant player in this sophisticated and professional operation”.

Robert Davies, prosecuting, said Khan was caught last November passing the package of drugs into a van in Bordesley Green after coming out of his house.

He said Khan was on licence at the time following a 12-year sentence he received in 2000 for importing heroin through Heathrow Airport. Det Chief Insp Nick Walton, who was in charge of the No Deal operation, said: “Khan was the head of this organised gang and our investigations show he made substantial financial gain in the last ten years from his activities.

“Collectively these people were responsible for most of the class A drug dealing across the area, particularly in Stechford and Bordesley Green throughout 2010 and into last year.

“We are pleased we have been able to get right into the heart of a problem that has been brought to us by members of the community.

“It has removed the men at the top, but has also taken some very busy street dealers off the streets thanks to excellent intelligence work from officers.”

The Mail joined officers in a series of dawn raids in March to arrest many of those men who have just been sentenced.

The massive operation saw officers swoop at dozens of addresses across the east of the city.

* Sentenced on May 18, 2012: Simon Grimmett, 21, of Yardley, jailed for three years and four months.

* Sentenced on June 8, 2012: Kasim Mohammed, 19, of Bordesley Green; Qasim Hussain, 20, of Small Heath, both jailed for four years and three months.

* Sentenced on June 11, 2012: Usman Ali, 22, of Small Heath; Urfan Shoukat, 25, of Small Heath, both jailed four years and six months; Amar Rehman, 22, of Bordesley Green, jailed for three years and six months; Rizwan Shoukat, 29, of Chelmsley Wood, jailed for five years and three months; Suleiman Yaseen, 20, of Saltley, jailed for four years and three months; Daniel Walsh, 20, of Small Heath, jailed for two years and three months; Mudassar Ali, 21, of Hall Green, jailed for two years and ten months; Shahid Zaman, 24, of Small Heath, jailed for two years and four months.